(TORONTO, ON) – The coaching staff of Ontario’s junior provincial men’s and women’s sevens program have named their travelling rosters for the upcoming National Under-18 Sevens Championships.
Taking place in Vancouver from Mar. 10-11, the inaugural National U18 Sevens Championships will see four Ontario provincial sevens teams - two men’s sides, two women’s sides - face competition from other provinces as they vie for national supremacy. The two-day tournament, played at Burnaby Lake Rugby Football Club, will include eight provincial men’s teams and seven provincial women’s teams.
The Under-18 Junior Storm Sevens, Ontario’s junior provincial women’s program, will feature 24 athletes across two teams at the national competition. Both Junior Storm Sevens teams will play British Columbia on the tournament’s opening day, and could potentially face Alberta, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, and Quebec throughout the knockout stages on Mar. 11.
The Junior Storm Sevens squad will include two returnees from last year’s Las Vegas Invitational Sevens championship-winning side, with Olivia Apps and Tia Svoboda reentering the provincial program fold. Seven squad members have also been named to Canada’s Under-18 Women’s team that will tour England in April.
The Under-18 Junior Blues Sevens, Ontario’s junior provincial men’s program, is sending 23 athletes to participate on two sides at the national tournament. The two Junior Blues Sevens teams have been placed in separate divisions; Ontario 1 will face Nova Scotia, Quebec, and Saskatchewan in pool play, while Ontario 2 will take on Alberta, British Columbia, and Newfoundland.
The Junior Blues Sevens squad will include six graduates from the Under-16 Junior Blues Sevens side that took part in last year’s Las Vegas Invitational Sevens.
Ontario’s junior provincial men’s and women’s sevens program players will be split into their respective Ontario 1 and Ontario 2 teams in late February.
“Since our 2015-2016 junior provincial sevens program kicked off in November, all 47 athletes have been working incredibly hard in training to improve their skills and grow as a team,” said David Butcher, Rugby Ontario High Performance Manager. “Our athletes have made outstanding progress throughout their winter training program, and are incredibly eager to hit the pitch and go up against other top-tier provincial teams next month.”
Rugby Ontario junior provincial men’s and women’s sevens program coaches used branch union, club, and high school team participation in fall sevens competitions to identify players for their provincial sevens teams. The program's identification process also included a sevens-specific junior combine in November 2015, a key initiative as part of Rugby Ontario’s commitment to identifying the next wave of national level athletes.
With the National U18 Sevens Championships running just prior to the inaugural Canada Sevens (Mar. 12-13), the national competition’s men’s and women’s Cup finals will have the distinction of being held at a once-in-a-lifetime venue on Mar. 12: BC Place, in front of tens of thousands of fans taking in world-class rugby at the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series stop. The Cup finals will kick off during an extended break in play at the international competition.
Rugby Canada has confirmed that each provincial team will be live-streamed at least once on Mar. 10. Streaming details will be announced on the National U18 Sevens Championships website: http://www.canadianuniversity7s.com/
The @RugbyOntario Twitter account will also feature updates for all of Ontario’s junior provincial sevens teams throughout the tournament. The action can be followed here: https://twitter.com/RugbyOntario
National U18 Sevens Championships Tournament SchedulesU18 Ontario Junior Storm Sevens:Pool Matches (Mar. 10)10:00 a.m. PST / 1:00 p.m. EST: Ontario 1 v. British Columbia12:20 p.m. PST / 3:20 p.m. EST: Ontario 1 v. Ontario 22:30 p.m. PST / 5:30 p.m. EST: Ontario 2 v. British ColumbiaCup rounds to be played on Mar. 11.U18 Ontario Junior Blues Sevens:Pool Matches (Mar. 10)10:00 a.m. PST / 1:00 p.m. EST: Ontario 1 v. Nova Scotia11:06 a.m. PST / 2:06 p.m. EST: Ontario 2 v. Alberta12:42 p.m. PST / 3:42 p.m. EST: Ontario 1 v. Quebec1:26 p.m. PST / 4:26 p.m. EST: Ontario 2 v. British Columbia3:52 p.m. PST / 6:52 p.m. EST: Ontario 1 v. Saskatchewan4:16 p.m. PST / 7:16 p.m. EST: Ontario 2 v. NewfoundlandCup rounds to be played on Mar. 11.

About Rugby Ontario:Rugby Ontario is the provincial sports governing body responsible for the organization of rugby in Ontario. Our mission is to promote, govern, and develop rugby at all levels in a safe, affordable and enjoyable environment within the province of Ontario.
There are more than 10,000 Rugby Ontario members registered with 65 rugby clubs located across the province, with participation in age grades ranging from minor (age 6+) to masters (age 35+) in male and female divisions.
For more information, visit http://www.rugbyontario.com/